Page 83 of The Woman Left Behind

“Agreed,” Harry grunted.

“Thanksgiving in Indiana with some time between the news and then will be a much better way to spend time together.”

“Again, agreed,” Harry replied.

“Hang on, she wants the phone,” Ronetta said.

Another handoff and he had Lillian back.

“I’m okay,” she assured, sounding a little husky, but other than that, like she said, okay. “I just…it gets overwhelming, having such good friends.”

“I know, baby,” he murmured.

“Did Ronetta tell you about my grandfolks?”

“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s probably for the best, yes?”

“This might sound weird, but I don’t think Mom or Dad would want them there. I don’t think they’d even want me, Ronnie and George or Shane and Sherise there. They weren’t about being sad. They were about…everything else other than that.”

“I definitely got that from what everyone says about them.”

“So I guess, in a way, this is working out as it should.”

“Good way to look at it.”

She put a line under that, asking, “What time will you be over tonight?”

“Gotta get the dogs, get some things packed. I’m aiming for six. Cool?”

“Definitely cool. See you then.”

“Yeah, sweetheart. See you then.”

They disconnected, and Harry was able to deal with some email before he heard a commotion out in the hall.

He got up and was heading to the door when he heard Polly say, “Now is not the time, Kimmy.”

Shit.

Kimmy wasn’t only the town’s lovable, nosy curmudgeon, she was their local conspiracy theorist.

Reopening old cases, dead residents being found a state away, was candy to Kimmy.

He hit the door to see Polly barring Kimmy in the hall.

“It’s okay, Polly.”

And it was because this was part of his job. He never had time for it, but he always had to make time.

Polly looked over her shoulder at him.

“Harry,” she said by way of protest.

He looked beyond her at Kimmy, who was wearing a green and red plaid sweatshirt with a headband in her hair that had a puffy Christmas tree sticking out of the top.

The tree illuminated, and he knew this because right then, the tiny lights on it were lit.

In this getup, especially seeing someone wearing it in late September, most people would have trouble taking the woman seriously.

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